


A Ninja's Quiet Place

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Series: A Ninja's Quiet Place AU [1]
Category: Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja
Genre: Angst, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional, Emotions, No it's not like fucking Inside Out, Nonbinary Character, Other, Randy sees Emotions, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-02-11 16:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12938805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: Randy has an ability that few in the world have. He can see Emotions - beings that exist on another plane, beings that influence mortals as they go about their lives.Randy is also unable to feel anything due to this ability. He has grown talented at pretending that he has emotion, though there are a select few who know the truth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had this same AU in another fandom but because of how toxic that fandom became I dropped that fic and decided to do it again, but for this fandom instead.
> 
> Also, I plan to do little oneshots for this AU as well. They'll be short things about before this story's happenings, or after once it's done. Things to develop Randy's ability some more or other things that I may not be able to touch on in this story (ex. why Howard insists on being his friend despite his lack of emotion).
> 
> I also would like to do a different version of this AU where Nomi is the one without emotion/the ability to see Emotions! That will be under a different series, and it will also have the short stories in addition to the main one, to illustrate the differences between Randy having the ability and Nomi having it.
> 
> All that said, enjoy the story and please comment so I know what you guys think! I really, really love this AU and I want to develop it, so ask any questions you want because that will help immensely!

Randy is talented at pretending. This is something that the Nomicon will readily admit.

He is talented at pretending that he is affected by the beings that exist on the other plane. The Nomicon has always known of them, but has never been with a ninja who also knew. Has never been with a ninja who was not affected.

The Nomicon has never been with a ninja like Randy.

And it is scared of him.

One who has no emotion cannot care. One who has no emotion cannot worry over others. One who has no emotion cannot be pure of heart, because to be pure of heart one must care for others!

Randy is hollow. Randy is a big bunch of nothing wrapped up in a human-shaped box. One day, someone will realize that the ninja is also hollow, and they will make the connection to Randy.

The Nomicon is scared.

* * *

Randy does not pretend to be interested in whatever Howard is droning on about. He lacks the capability to be interested, and Howard knows this, so he is not offended. Joy stands at his side, touching his shoulder, and Randy is careful not to look at her.

Then the Nomicon glows, and Joy disappears, is replaced by Annoyance. "Aw, come on! It couldn't have waited until I finished my story?!"

Randy does not try to calm Howard down. He just stands, goes for his backpack...

But the Nomicon lifts itself from out of his backpack. Shock appears, touches Howard. He does not try to touch Randy, because he knows by now that Randy won't be affected. Randy stares at the Nomicon, watching as its form shifts and changes to that of a human.

Then, unceremoniously, it plops to the ground when the transformation is complete.

"What the juice?!" Howard cries, standing and ducking behind Randy.

If Randy had the capacity to, he may have been annoyed. As it is, Randy continues staring at this new form of the Nomicon's.

"I have taken this form to better aid you," the Nomicon says, sitting up straight. "I hope you do not mind." A smirk tugs at the Nomicon's lips. "Ah, right, you don't have the capacity to mind, do you?"

"How does it know that about you?" Howard whispers.

"It can read my mind."

"They. Or at least call me Nomi. Just not 'it'. That's offensive. Not that you would know, ninja."

Pointedly ignoring the backhanded comment, Randy starts towards the door. "I'll go ask my moms if you can sleep in my room."

Nomi follows after Randy. Howard looks around, then picks up a game controller.

"Why bother asking?" Nomi asks.

"They'll notice you eventually. It's best to just let them know you're here right away."

"I'll be quiet."

"I already don't believe you."

"Rude. I'm so hurt." Nomi places a hand to their chest, feigning being wounded. Randy continues walking, ignoring Nomi's antics.

It's scary. Randy is scary, Nomi thinks. Had Nomi done this with any other ninja, they would have panicked, would have asked a million questions, would have been excited, amazed, fascinated.

Randy is nothing. Randy is hollow.

But there has to be something inside Randy. Something. Some sort of tie to his humanity. Otherwise, why would he even bother pretending to be normal?


	2. Chapter 2

Randy knows that his mothers do not consider him normal. No matter how well he pretends, he has never been able to fool some people.

Perhaps he was normal as a child. Something caused them to adopt him. Who would adopt an emotionless child?

Jane would not. She is terrified of Randy, always jumping at the littlest noises whenever he is around. As if he's going to hurt her.

Mary would not, either. She pretends that Randy is normal, but Randy sees Fear around her all the time. Fear mocks him whenever he is summoned to her side.

They are scared of their son. And where another child may have been hurt at this revelation, may have been sad, may have cried, Randy is hollow. Randy feels nothing.

Randy makes his steps deliberately loud as he comes down the stairs with Nomi at his heels. Despite this, Jane still jumps when he enters the kitchen.

"This is Nomi," Randy says. "Can he stay here? His house burned down."

Fear. That was the wrong choice of words, Nomi and Randy note, as Fear runs a hand down Jane's arm. Because of who her son is, she thinks he and anyone he associates with is a sociopath. She thinks Nomi burned down the nonexistent house, and neither corrects her because it would be suspicious if they did.

"Of course," Jane says shakily. "I'll call Mary and let her know to bring home extra tacos. Is Howard staying the night too?"

"Probably," Randy says. "It's Friday."

"So it is," Jane mumbles, her smile shaky and far too fake. "Well, you two go on, I have to finish cleaning!"

The kitchen is pristine. But they leave anyway.

"They're scared of you," Nomi says. A simple fact.

"Yeah," Randy agrees, because it is fact. He enters his bedroom to find Howard playing on the game console. A game he only has because Howard insists that he have it for when he visits.

Howard was never deterred. Even when Randy told him of the other plane, of his lack of emotion, Howard continued sticking to his side like glue. Randy didn't bother trying to get rid of him anymore simply because it became obvious that Howard wouldn't give up.

Randy pulls out his math homework, and Howard turns. "Yo, Nomi, you any good at video games?"

"I am an eight-hundred-year-old being who lived most of my life as a book. What do you think?"

"Sounds like an 'I don't know' to me!" Howard tosses the second controller to Nomi, who fumbles to catch it.

Nomi looks to Randy, who shrugs and does not offer help. He simply gets onto his bed and starts on his homework. He makes sure to get some wrong - the front he puts up in public demands it - and 'forgets' to show his work. Lack of emotion leaves more room for logic, but if he were hailed as a genius there would be a harsher eye on him, and as it is Randy wants to be average.

Normal.

It's strange. All he wants is to survive, and yet there's something else inside him telling him to be normal as well.

He has no emotion, so he does not - cannot - care how people see him. But there must be a shred of a soul, a shred of humanity inside him, because part of him still wants to be normal even without caring what people think. It's an oxymoron in and of itself.

A shout makes Randy look over, and he sees that Nomi has beat Howard. He is not surprised - not for lack of general emotion, for once, either. Video games are nothing more than hand-eye coordination. Nomi trains ninjas. It only makes sense that they would be good at video games.

Homework done, Randy hops off the bed and feigns being interested in their rematch. Neither Nomi nor Howard is fooled, because both know that he is hollow, but neither calls him out on it either.


	3. Chapter 3

Randy only half-listens to whatever inane topic Howard and Nomi are discussing on their way to school. The weekend had passed in a blur and somehow, despite Howard's previous hatred of the former book, the two had become somewhat close in the short period of time.

Mirth brushes a hand against Howard as he laughs at a story that Nomi is telling. Probably some screwup of a past ninja's. Randy spots the school coming, and puts on his metaphorical mask.

He starts paying attention to the conversation, and jumps in with a fake smile and fake laughter. Howard and Nomi, understanding that he's trying to appear normal to the students that are coming into view, do not consider it odd. They accept him into the conversation easily, and no one around them is any the wiser as Nomi follows Howard and Randy to their lockers.

"What are we going to tell people about you?" Randy asks Nomi, quietly, once they are at his locker.

"Tell people he's a transfer student," Howard suggests.

"The principal will want to see them. Not just them, but paperwork. Birth certificate, medical records - things we don't have."

"They're the one who followed us to school. I just kinda assumed they would know what to do."

With that comment, both boys' eyes turn to Nomi. Nomi blinks.

"Honestly, I just didn't want to be alone with Randy's mom, considering she thinks I'm an arsonist."

Howard falters. "What exactly did you tell-"

"Who's this?"

Principal Slimovitz was suddenly there, appearing as though he were an Emotion. Nomi and Howard both yelp, and Randy calmly looks up at the man.

"Transfer student. Remember?"

The principal stares at Nomi. "Oh. Uh. I don't remember. But... Good! Good! Yes, ahem, um, I hope you'll settle in fine!"

Awkwardly, the man leaves, Embarrassment trailing behind him, and Nomi and Howard both relax.

"That was easier than I expected," Nomi comments. "I'm just going to go to all of your classes, Randy. Since that's what I did as a book, anyway."

"Fine."

* * *

Randy introduces Nomi to each of his teachers. Bash takes notice of the new kid, and at lunch time the inevitable happens.

"Hey, Noma!"

"Nomi," they correct the large boy.

"Whatever! What are you?"

Nomi raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Boy or girl? Cause you look weird!"

"Quite frankly, my gender is none of the business of an ignoramus such as yourself."

"Ignore... Anus...?"

Bash tries to puzzle out the word, and Nomi and Randy easily slip by him to get to their table. Randy nods politely to Confusion, who has a vice-like grip on Bash's upper arm. She beams back at him - such a cheerful Emotion.

Randy sits down next to Howard's left, and Nomi sits at Randy's left. Nomi pokes with his fork at what the school claims is spaghetti but looks an awful lot to Randy like tar. Randy eats it without complaint - he has no emotion, so he feels no disgust at the meal.

"The lunch ladies love Randy, cause he's the only one who can keep down stuff like this," Howard informs Nomi.

"I'm aware," Nomi says. "It's a shame Randy doesn't want to take advantage of it."

Howard gapes. "You? You want him to... Take advantage of something?"

Nomi rolls their eyes and lifts up a forkful of 'spaghetti'. "This is disgusting. Of course I want him to get a better meal than this."

Randy ignores them both. Perhaps if he had emotion he would take advantage of the lunch ladies' favoring him, but then, if he had emotions, he wouldn't be able to stomach this meal.

Randy takes another bite. A conundrum.


End file.
